BREAKING: Pete Alonso signs with the Orioles

The Mets lost their franchise home run leader as the roster demolition continues

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Mets’ lineup took another drastic blow Wednesday afternoon as homegrown slugger Pete Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

After settling for a two-year contract to return to the Mets last winter following a less-than-stellar 2024 campaign, Alonso came roaring back in 2025 to finish with a career year in multiple categories. His 126 RBI were the second-most in MLB, and he finished his season as one of the league’s most fearsome hitters, posting top-10 marks in doubles, runs scored, OPS, hard-hit rate, and wRC+.

At $31 million AAV, Alonso’s new deal is the highest ever for a first baseman. According to the New York Post, Alonso’s deal features no deferrals or opt-outs.

Per MLB.com, the Mets never made a formal offer to Alonso after seeing the direction his bidding war was heading.

In his bounce-back campaign last season, Alonso was particularly formidable in the clutch: he hit .309 with a 1.035 OPS and 176 wRC+ with runners in scoring position, including 14 homers, third-best in baseball. He will bring those talents to a Baltimore lineup that also recently added the mashing talents of Taylor Ward, giving the Orioles two of the best right-handed homer hitters in the league.

Somehow, even considering the Diaz departure yesterday, this news shocks me. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I was convinced this was the one domino that wouldn’t fall. Having said that, after last winter’s seemingly endless saga between the Mets and Alonso, which resulted in the two sides agreeing to just a two-year deal, this split seemed fitting.

Where the Mets go from here is a bit of a mystery. Entering the 2026 season with Mark Vientos as the primary first base option signals that this franchise is indeed entering a rebuilding phase, which isn’t the best look entering just the second year of the historic Juan Soto contract. Clearly, David Stearns was committed to completely dissolving the core we’d come to know and love, but given the lack of indication that the Mets are serious players for the remaining big names on the board, fans are justified in their current trepidation and fury.

In addition to the hole opened up in Mets fans’ hearts, this move also opens yet another hole in the roster. Barring a lineup full of rookie roster invites, the Mets need two outfielders, several relievers, and a first baseman, and they also now need to replace the production of the best power hitter the organization has ever seen.

So, what’s the next pivot: a Ryan O’Hearn signing? A Willson Contreras trade?

Vientos every day?

None of it feels ideal, and pessimistically, only the latter presently feels realistic.

Whatever the plan is, the Mets need to reveal it soon if they have any hopes of calming an already on-edge fanbase.

In addition to the franchise home run record, Alonso leaves the Mets standing top 10 all-time in position player WAR, offensive WAR, SLG, OPS, runs scored, total bases, RBIs, and, perhaps most famously, hit-by-pitches. Since his debut in 2019, he leads the league in games played, with 1,008 — stability the Mets will now have to try to replicate.